Question 1

EdTech startups in India experience massive growth in 2020

Accepted Answer

Education is a sector that has been in the center of society since time immemorial and whether it’s a social disruption like the pandemic or technological disruptions like online education startups who introduce upgraded education trends to the young students.

COVID-19 has been quite unsettling for the education system because the traditional school of education could no more be pursued with social distancing norms in place. As students and children were at the highest risk segment of COVID-19, schools rapidly closed up. Establishments could be shut but education as a sector was searching for an alternative method of teaching to keep students learning.

Stepping strongly on the necessity of an alternative to traditional school education in the COVID-19 pandemic, EdTech startups stepped in to take the education sector by storm. Edtech ventures cashed in on the opportunity of remote education and lack of proper teachers as well as the rise of homeschooling. The solutions offered by EdTech startups are seen as solutions for students who look for more comprehensive and adaptive learning outside the classroom. One among the EdTech startups who have taken up the gauntlet to open the world of education to technology driven solutions is LectureNotes. Through its innovative, one of a kind approach LectureNotes provides a Collaborative learning solution to schools, colleges and Universities to help them continue the teaching-learning process amid this Lockdown. The platform not only allows the teacher to teach online like any other video conferencing software but also helps the teachers in sharing content and reading materials, conduct assignments and tests with doubt clearing facility for the students.

Through the Internet of Things, and virtual reality-powered immersive learning, EdTech is connecting schools to students, helping students access quality educational content, and also in the assimilation of information to knowledge. Artificial intelligence and virtual teaching assistants are helping teachers keep track of students in the online classroom and making the whole online education experience secure from hacking. The COVID -19 pandemic has seen a drastic shift from the collective mindset to the individual psyche when it comes to lifestyle. The technology of data analysis and Artificial intelligence is tracking a students’ performance and also customizing learning for students with tailor-made education programs. Similarly, using the technology of remote learning, LectureNotes has helped students and teachers in customizing their teaching learning needs and adopt selective learning by narrowing their focus on the most important topics of their subjects.

During the lockdown, most of the businesses have suffered unprecedented losses, one from which they will take a long time to recover. The lockdown has been surprisingly favorable for the EdTech startups in India. Rising from the opportunistic need of an alternative medium of learning, the EdTech startups have altogether raised a whopping $795 million in the first half of 2020. This is very contrasting to the $108 million raised in the last few years. Millions of people have signed up on digital learning platforms. Whether its an existing student looking to continue his studies without the hassle or someone who is out of a job and wants to upskill during the lockdown or teachers looking to streamline learning into a more organized structure, EdTech startups had solutions for everyone in 2020. They have contributed around 20% of total investments in the first quarter of the financial year. EdTech has seen a multiple fold increase of visibility and audience with revenues shooting up by almost 100% every month.

The unforeseen need for education during a pandemic has made EdTech Sector the most booming sector of investment and growth for India.

As the pandemic looks set on its course and everyone from students, dropouts, parents adapting to the virtual way of life, education has shifted majorly to online mode. Under the circumstances, innovation and new technology from the EdTech ventures are going to receive a huge welcome from academia. The growth of the EdTech sector is going to continue over the next half of 2020 and we are yet to see the most innovative education solutions from the startups.

Question 2

The Journey of an Entrepreneur

Accepted Answer

From a humble upbringing in Kesinga, Kalahandi to a self-made entrepreneur, the story of Bhubaneswar based EdTech startup owner Ayush Agrawal has an inspiring journey to share with other aspiring entrepreneurs. His success story reminds us that engineers are capable of turning their creative thinking into a feasible innovation that can power a solid enterprise.

Belonging to a traditional Marwari family who migrated to Kalahandi Odisha in the 1950s from Rajasthan, Ayush is an ambivert since childhood. Getting fascinated by magic in class IV, he was a curious thinker even in his formative years. After finishing his schooling and junior college from Jupiter +2 college, he was inclined towards pursuing engineering as a career. A bright student since the beginning, he appeared for IIT JEE but got waitlisted in the final round of counseling.

Ayush then chose to study Electrical engineering from Silicon Institute of Technology, Bhubaneswar because of the disciplined environment and the quality education imparted by the institution. He has multiple internships from some of the most prestigious institutes in India. Though he could not get formal admission in an IIT, he was selected as an intern at IIT Bombay in AI Power Systems. He also interned for two months at IISc Bangalore.

These experiences he gathered at these internships inspired him to think about “Learning beyond boundaries” and creating a notes sharing platform so that classrooms could only focus on teacher-student interactions. Teachers are more inclined to dictate notes which were a point of disappointment for him and other students like him who wanted fruitful discussions on learning topics.

In the second year of his engineering, Lecture notes took shape as an idea. He started Lecture Notes on 11 December 2011 as notes sharing interface, more like a hobby project, where students can access pre-written notes and not go through gruelling sessions of the classroom.

In 2013, he started another venture, connected to costumers on an online platform and delivered milk and other breakfast needs to them keeping ease and convenience in mind. After graduating as an electrical engineer, he joined the family business.

Lecture Notes was shelved as an idea until 2016. It wasn’t until 2016-2017 that Ayush resumed the development of LectureNotes as a full-fledged digital solution for accessible notes of various disciplines of engineering. He developed LectureNotes as an app for readily available clear-cut notes for those engineering students who struggled to keep up with the pace of lectures. LectureNotes sourced high-quality notes from professors of many renowned universities and was launched as a commercial platform in 2017. Since then, the platform has got great reviews and appreciation from students community for making study notes easy, accessible, and clearer to understand. Whether it is for a better understanding of concepts or covering all bases during a last-minute preparation, LectureNotes has been a smart technology solution that gives the right e-notes to students at the right time.

Ayush Agrawal’s journey of materializing a disruptive idea into a solid enterprise with a turnover of 4.8 Million per year is a study of successful innovation that not only benefits the individual but a community on implementation. He is an EdTech Startup pioneer today, the humble boy, who was once fascinated with magic, has brought magic to many students’ fingertips.

Question 3

How technology is disrupting the Education sector

Accepted Answer

In India, for many years, the traditional school of education had been the sole medium of learning. With the advent of technology, however, education in India is transforming day by day, making it accessible for all. Once limited to only paper books and wooden benches, some 1.5 million and 18000 colleges have now embraced smart classrooms, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and interactive learning, making digital media a huge disruption for education. The educational technology has leaped a disruption to a widely accepted innovation with the sector predicted to be an industry with a $1.96 billion valuation by 2021.

Classrooms, textbooks, teaching methods are all in for an overhaul under the influences of technology. Technology is disrupting the way education is approached in India. From customizing the educational content according to the age groups and children studying to helping people from remote locations get access to education through distance learning, technology is a significant factor in today’s education sector.

Disruption can be positive in light of a drastic and progressive change that is ushered by innovation and research. Disruptive technologies in education are necessary to reform the sector and make it more futuristic and direct for the next generation of students. Disruption in education by technology is making education simpler, better, more accessible, and easily retained for the students.

In recent years, the introduction of disruptive technology in the education sector has helped millions of students around the world.

Technology, like Big data analytics, is used in the education sector to measure the learning capabilities of a student. Data analytics help shape the structure of adaptive learning for students that customizes itself according to the needs of the student. As teachers have started to use digital teaching tools, it is easy to monitor student performances and analyze it to create content that is more effective for their learning.

Digital learning gives students real-time feedback and also helps students situated remotely get access to education conveniently. Adaptive learning is very precise as a teaching method, helping students gain knowledge and retain it for a longer time.

For students, the world of the internet is a part of their life. With increased digital literacy, the number of students opting to learn in online mode through virtual classrooms is increasing. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced everyone to switch to the online classroom in the absence of traditional schools. Making lectures available online makes them more accessible, helping students reach out to study material at any time so that they can self-study more easily and acquire an in-depth understanding of the subject. During such times, a technology that enables teacher and students to connect over the internet and make learning a seamless experience are gaining momentum. For college students, internships are crucial. In the current pandemic, amidst social restrictions, students are eager to undertake virtual internships from various companies around the world by online media. It means technology has brought the globe to the single screen of a computer. Digital technology has simplified work and education for the future.

Innovative technology in education is cutting down the costs involved in traditional education by introducing e-books, saving people’s money used previously to commute to college. It is helping students manage their time and engage in various activities at the same time which helps them develop a multi-faceted personality. Many upcoming companies of today take the credit of introducing many innovative technologies in the education sector, heralding a new age partnership between education establishments and technology pioneers. One such company is LectureNotes that provides e-notes to engineering students directly sourced from experienced faculty.

The use of paperless e-Notes online is a significant technology application that has disrupted the education sector. The availability of notes online makes the life of a student easy and simple. Many universities have introduced paperless notes in partnership with LectureNotes. LectureNotes has all the engineering subjects’ notes from different leading universities in its library that can be accessed by member students anytime, anywhere. Available as an app on play store and iOS, LectureNotes is in partnership with many experienced faculties from different colleges. It makes the platform an excellent medium for fruitful interactions between teachers and students which is very important for students, especially during this COVID-19 pandemic. Along with being a green, environment-friendly, paperless venture, LectureNotes aims at making education simple and bridge the gap between classroom studies and self-study with well written and accessible notes.

Question 4

Why Engineering is the most Preferred Career in India- A Historical Roundup

Accepted Answer

Every year millions of engineers graduate from the thousands of engineering colleges in India. According to reports almost 1.5 million engineers are created every year from the students that enroll in colleges around the country. So why is engineering one of the most coveted and widely popular career choices for Indian students?

The answer lies in many aspects of the engineering career. Engineering is a professional study and therefore is a safety net for freshers who are afraid of failing initially, and in India where children carry great expectations from their parents. A career as an engineer guarantees social mobility and financial security. Some believe that the reason Indians love engineering so much is that India has given the world many pioneers of mathematics and mathematical and analytical skills are prized in India.

The respect and weightage linked with engineering can be traced back to engineers in British India when they were deemed officers and a certain air of aristocracy was around the profession. A qualified engineer was seen as a symbol of professional capabilities of the highest order as well as personal qualities like integrity, honesty, and resourcefulness. This outlook of people towards engineers has been consistent even today and engineers are looked up at by many Indians even today.

The situation during World War I prompted the colonial government to tap into India’s industrial potential, to produce equipment, guns, essential goods for Britain, and during the World Wars the British government relaxed its hardened stance on developing India as an industrial state and began to introduce some pre-industrial policies including pricing incentives for selective Indian industries like steel, paper, jute, and sugar. This led to a demand for industrial engineers that provided the necessary impetus for engineering to gain momentum as a profession.

In a post-independence India, the British engineers left a void for Indian engineers and a pressing need to rebuild the nation from economic and social ruins in the wake of British Raj, which needed a major contribution from engineers. From manufacturing to designing newer infrastructure, engineers were seen as the builders of the nation. Whether it's laying down the tracks for new railways or working at the new factories emerging in an independent India, industry, and engineers who ran the industry were seen as the wheel of progress for a newly liberalized economy.

Through the decades, the one thing that has been constant is the higher standing in society and the reputation engineers receive in India. An engineer is seen as a resourceful problem solver on whom people can depend and this dependable professional reputation that the engineers are showered with is the emotional reason youngsters in India want to be engineers in India. This connection to the profession has been persisting since the British Era and will continue to persist.

Apart from these, the high paying jobs in the engineering sector, the level of demand for engineers in the market, a growth potential, versatility to work across many industries, and increased financial security are also various reasons of youngsters opting for engineering

FAQs On Blogs

Edtech startups in india experience massive growth in 2020

The journey of an entrepreneur

How technology is disrupting the education sector

Why engineering is the most preferred career in india- a historical roundup